The benefits of regularly consuming peanut-containing foods early in life to prevent the development of peanut allergy persist even when subjects stopped peanut consumption for 1 year, a clinical study found. Early introduction of peanuts to infants at high risk for allergy was previously shown to prevent peanut allergy. In a

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have an increased risk of oral cancers—especially tongue cancer—researchers report in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Women are at higher risk than men. Oral cancers develop in the mucosal surfaces of the lips, floor of mouth, tongue, buccal mucosa, lower and

Continued use of immunomodulator therapy in patients with Crohn’s disease receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy is no more effective than anti-TNF monotherapy in inducing or maintaining response or remission, researchers show. The meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials is published in the December issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. There is debate

Slightly more than 50% of people with an inherited risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) agree to undergo screening for this cancer, and most prefer colonoscopy to colon capsule endoscopy—even though these are equally effective screening tools—researchers report in the December issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Colonoscopy should therefore remain

Duodenoscopes and endoscopes used in retrograde cholangiopancreatography are causing infections with carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and possibly other bacteria throughout the US. While medical societies and journals scramble to increase awareness of infection risks, medical centers are already taking precautions to avoid further infections. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increases risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) by 55%—and even more among patients also taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory or antiplatelet drugs, researchers report in the January issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Risk might be reduced significantly by concomitant use of acid-suppressing drugs. Selective serotonin

In patients with cardiovascular disease, discontinuing low-dose aspirin therapy after peptic ulcer bleeding increases risk of death and acute cardiovascular events almost 7-fold, according to the January issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Many patients with cardiovascular disease receive low-dose aspirin, for its cardioprotective effects. However, aspirin can also cause

Donating part of your liver is just as safe as donating a kidney—donors of these organs have survival rates similar to the rest of the population, according to an article in the February issue of Gastroenterology. With organ shortages, live-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a lifesaving alternative to transplantation from deceased

A screen for mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes could be used to identify young people at risk for colorectal cancer, report Paul Limburg et al. in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. It is a challenge to identify people who are less than 50 years old that

Individuals who received therapy for cancer during childhood have an increased risk of developing GI complications later in life, according to Robert Goldsby et al. in the May issue of Gastroenterology. About 80% of children who receive cancer therapy survive more than 5 years; therapies can be especially toxic to

About the Author

Dr. Kristine Novak is the science editor for Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She has worked as an editor at biomedical research journals and as a science writer for 15 years, covering advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer, immunology, biotechnology, molecular genetics, and clinical trials. She has a PhD in cell biology and an interest in all areas of medical research.